Palateless dental prosthesis



United States Patent O 2,752,680 PALATELESS DENTAL PROSTHESIS Sven Fredrik Winnberg, Stockholm, Sweden Application October 4, 1954, Serial No. 460,105 6 Claims. (Cl. 32-3) It has long been generally recognized that for the user of a dental prosthesis it would be a very great advantage if the prosthesis is designed without a palate. Firstly, the prosthesis would take up less room in the cavity of the mouth, which will leave more room for the tongue, and secondly, a very essential part of the reduction of the tasting capacity or change of the perception of taste deriving from organs are located in the palate.

In the case of partial dental prostheses, no very great difficulties will be encountered in the construction of palateless prostheses, as it is possible to secure the prosthesis to the remaining teeth, but this is, on the other hand, ont of the question in the case of complete prostheses.

lt is known to make palateless dental prostheses in such a manner that they can be secured in the proper position by means of a clamping member of a yieldable material, such as rubber, which grips along the rim of the gum and at the same time to some extent may act as a kind of suction disc.

In practice it appears, however, that such dental prostheses can only be successfully used in very few cases, with very powerfully developed Palateless dental prostheses are furthermore known in which in the depression of the closed to all sides, tends to the surface behind the teeth of the prosthesis, and in which channel a valve is provided permitting a ow of air from the said cavity out through the channel and blocking the channel in the opposite direction.

When this prosthesis is mounted in position, and the teeth are clenched, while at the same time the user creates in his mouth the prosthesis is secured irnmovably, if the valve functions properly.

ln the known prostheses, the valves are, however, so complicated that they will either take up too much room in the prosthesis or, if they are made so small that this is avoided, they will become so frail and sensitive with regard to impurities, resulting for example from food remainders, that they do not work with a sulicient reliability.

lt is the object of the invention to provide a prosthesis of the type mentioned, which suiiers from none of the said drawbacks, and a valve of a simple design suited for such a prosthesis.

Patented July 3, 1956 According to the invention the valve is constituted by a disc of a yieldable material, which disc is domed in the direction of opening and is provided with a tine slit in the top of the dome.

Such a valve is simple and cheap to manufacture and occupies very little room, so that it does not inconvenience the user.

In a pre erred embodiment the secured in with an external screw thread, which disc is screwed into the bushing and surrounds the domed part of the valve disc.

By this means a secure attachment of the valve is attained in addition to the possibility of exchanging the latter if for some reason or other it should prove necessary.

Depending on the character of the gum rim of the user of the prosthesis it may happen that when the user creates the suction of a1r to secure the prosthesis, the soft part of the gum rim is sucked in against the mouth of the channel, and hereby the admission of air into the channel is blocked, so that it will be diliicult to obtain a suicient vacuum in the cavity between the prosthesis and the gum rim.

The remedying of this drawback is another object of the invention. ln an embodiment of the invention a covering member is provided over the mouth of the valved channel in the ing such a blocking, in contradistinction to the point where the valve is located, where there is very little room due to the fact that the valve must open out at the side facing the cavity of the mouth of the user.

The covering member may have any desired shape, it may be designed either as a separate member semay be made integrally with prosthesis shown in Fig. 3 in plan view.

ing been omitted for the sake of simplicity. The teeth carrier 2 of the prosthesis has a depression Y3, adapted `to iit the gum rim -of the user. This depression 3 is provided with a recess 4-which, as appears from Fig, 2, in the example shown extends for practically speaking the full arc of the prosthesis, but is, however, terminated a little short of the rearmost points 5 of the prosthesis.

Y:It 'appears from the .drawing that, `together with the users gum rim, this recess 4 wiil form a completely closed chamber lor cavity.

The-'recess 4 is Vin communication with 'the surface of the prosthesis facing the cavity of the mouth through 4an aperture6. The aperture =6 4is lined with a tube 7 which at its vouter end is provided with a :flange lt which yalong its outer circumference is provided ywith fa projection 9 with an internal screw thread.

In :the `space formed by the 4projection 9 a valve -disc 10 v:is seatedon thellange 8. Said valve disc is outwardly domed and made of a yieldable material, such as plastic. in the domed ipoint Tit is lprovided with a small, narrow slit 11.

The valve -disc 10 is clamped by means of an annular disc 12 with an external screw thread which is screwed into the thread of the projection 9 and surrounds the domed part of Ythe valve disc'with the slit 11.

When the prosthesis -is titted in the mouth, so 'that the said closed chamber or cavity is formed, and the user creates a lsuction with his mouth, the air is sucked from the cavity out through the slit 11, so that a vacuum is produced in the cavity.

When the suction ceases, the slit is closed vdue to the higher 4pressure prevailing outside, so that no air can ytlow into vthe-cavity again, andthe prosthesis will consequently be securedon account ofthe difference between the pressure of the quantity of air remaining in thecavity and the atmospheric pressure.

'The prosthesis shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is basically designed in the same way as that described above.

It may, however, happen that the soit parts of the gum 3 are so strongly developed that the distance, designated byla in Fig. '3, between the gum 3' and the mouthof the aperture 6 towards the recess v4 becomes so slight that the said soft parts of the gum are sucked in against lthe mouth of aperture '6' vand thereby blocks the exhaust of air, vso that the vacuum necessary -to secure the attachment ofthe prosthesis Acannot be obtained. In order to remedy this drawback,-a covering -member 13 which, as appears from the figure, yprevents the softfparts of the gum frombeing'suclted in against the mouth'of aperture 6', is provided.

It is only at the point, where the valve is located that the space within 'the recess -4' is limited due to the fact that the valve must necessarily open out into the cavity of the mouth and must therefore be located in a Aplace where the prosthesis has a comparatively slight `thickness of material. The remaining part `of the recess 4' may-be suiciently deep so that tit -is lled in by the lsoft parts of the gum 3 when thefair is sucked out. Consequently, there is no risk that the entrance of Vair under the covering .menber 13 will be blocked by the -said soft parts being sucked "down around vthe edge of the covering member.

In the embodiment shown, pivoted 'on the prosthesis proper by means fof `a hinge member 1`4. When the covering member 13 is brought into the position showndn-dotted lines in fFig. 3, :a cleaning of the prosthesis around'the Nalve can be performed in a simple way without the covering member forming any obstacle.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described, 'which :may be subjected 'to many lmodifications as to details.

The recess need not extend :over-the whole arclo'f the prosthesis, .and it may, .'forexample .if the shape `o'f-fthe gum makes it idesira'bie, beidivi'ded intoseveral separate parts which may'beiirrterconnectedithroughtubular 'chanmils'or eaeht'fbeeprovided lwith -one valve 'The valve may the covering piece 13 is 4 be vplaced at any point of the arc of the prosthesis,'thongh as a rule it will be most convenient to place it between the front teeth as in the cases shown. The covering member need not be mounted pivotally as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, but may be secured rigidly, and furthermore it may instead of being designed as a separate member as shown be designed as an integral part of the prosthesis.

Further `thecovering member vneed not .completely cover the valve, as it is often suiiicient that 'it has 'the shape of a narrow tongue projecting :only partly over .the valve, thus affording suflicient .protectionagainst the soft parts of the ygum being sucked 'down into the aperture 6'.

I claim: v

l. Palateless dental prosthesis having a teeth carrier carrying teeth, said teeth carrier having a depression adapted to tit a users gum, a recess being provided in said carrier opening into said depression, said carrier having an aperture extending therethrough from said recess, a tubular 'member'being mounted 'in said aperture 'at the lend of 'the same opposite to said recess, a valve being provided in said tubular member, lsaid valve comprising a disc 'of a yieldable material, said disc being domed outwardly vat the side opposite to said channel and provided'with a narrow slit the edges of which contact each other due `to the yieldability of the material.

2. Palateless dental prosthesis having a teeth carrier carrying teeth, said teeth carrier having a depression adapted to fit -a users gum, a recess being provided in said carrier opening into said depression, said carrier having an aperture extending therethrough from `said recess, Aa tubular member being mounted in said aperture at the end of the same Aopposite to said recess, lsaid tubular member having a radially extending flange with an axially turned vouter edge part, said edge ypart being provided with an internal "threading, a disc shaped valve member being seated on said radially extending flange, an annular disc having 4external threading being screwed into said internal threading for securing said valve member on its seat in anairtight manner, said valve member consisting of 'a yieldable .material and having an outwardly domed part surrounded by said annular disc,.said domed part-being provided with a narrow slit.

3. Palateless dental prosthesis having a teeth carrier carrying teeth, said -teeth carrier Shaving a depression adapted to lit a users gum, a .recess being .provided in said vcarrier opening into said depression, said carrier having an aperture extending therethrough from Asaid recess, a tubular member being mounted in said aperture lat the end ofthe same opposite to said recess, a valve being provided in said tubular member, said 4valve comprising a disc of a yieldable material, a .cover member being provided in said depression covering said aperture ina manner ,permitting passage of air.

4. Palateless dental prosthesis having a teeth carrier carrying teeth, said teeth ,carrier having a depression adapted to klit a users gum, a recess being provided -in said 'carrier opening into said depression, said carrier having an aperture vextending therethrough from `said recess, a tubular member being mounted in said .aperture at the end of the same opposite to said recess, :said tubular member having a -radially extending angewith an axially turned .outer-edge part, :said edge part beingprovided with an internal threading, ra disc shaped valve memberA lbeing seated @on said radially extending `flange, an .annular disc having external threading `being 4 screwed into said internalxthreading for securing saidvalve memberionrits fvseat 'in Van airtight manner, said valve member consisting -.of fafyieldable material and having an youtwardly domed part-*surrounded by said annular disc, said domed part being provided with a narrow slit, a cover member being'provided -in said depression covering said aperture ina manner perm`ttingpassage 'of air.

-"5. Inrapalateless @dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 4 said cover member being shaped as a plate member, a hinge connection being provided between said plate member and said teeth carrier.

6. In a palateless dental prosthesis as claimed in claim 4 said cover member belng shaped as a thin plate mem- References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Powers Feb. 9, 1909 Dobele Dec. 18, 1928 

